The Legend of Blue Wolf
by Twilight Coldstar
Summary: After getting separated from the Gaang and taken prisoner to the Fire Nation, Sokka stumbles upon an inn while on the run and meets a strange woman who is supposedly a member of his tribe. She offers to teach him water bending and the secrets of the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka accepts but soon finds out that it was more than he bargained for. Sokka/Suki/Toph/Azula.
1. Chapter 1

Summary Notes: On the way towards Ba Sing Se, Sokka is supposedly killed by Azula in an attempt to protect his friends. Left for dead, he is eventually found by passing fire nation troops who decide to bring him back to the Fire Nation as a servant. Once there, he manages to escape custody and eventually finds himself on the run.

**Chapter 1: Just Let Go**

Sokka stumbled into a secluded but cozy looking inn as he stepped out of the heavy, torrential downpour just outside. It had been raining all day, but thankfully, that was just what he needed to cover his tracks. The young man sighed heavily as he looked around the bar of the inn. He didn't spot anybody in it which he found strange, but nevertheless, he walked over towards the counter and rang the bell on it.

Upon hearing the sound, a elderly woman came out from a door around the corner and eyed him curiously. "A guest? I haven't had any in quite a while. What brings you to my inn on this rainy night?" the woman asked inquisitively as she stepped behind the counter and crossed her arms.

The southern water tribesman didn't know what to say as he awkwardly stared at the woman. She eyed him curiously awaiting a response. During this time, Sokka took in her appearance. She was very unusual looking for somebody living in the Fire nation.

After the long awkward silence the woman coughed, "Excuse me young man, but are you going to answer my question or just stare at me all night?"

Drawn from his thoughts, Sokka chuckled embarrassedly as he rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry…it's just you look strange. Err, that is to say…I mean you really stand out."

An amused grin graced her features as she smiled, "Oh?"

"Not that I mean it in a bad way," Sokka embarrassedly rambled in an attempt to salvage the situation.

"Don't be shy, why don't you start by telling me your name," the woman asked.

Sokka was silent for a moment but decided it would be best to change the subject, "You don't really seem like you're from around here."

The woman raised a brow and laughed at his comment, "That is a rather odd thing for a random traveler to say. Where do you think I'm from?"

"I don't know…anyways, can I buy a room for the night?" Sokka asked hoping to keep as low a profile as possible to avoid further suspicion. The woman grinned maliciously at him and nodded, "Of course good sir…you are welcome to stay in one of the rooms. Although to be quite honest, I am rather surprised to have any guests around here lately."

"Why aren't you getting any business?" Sokka asked cautiously eyeing the woman suspiciously. His look did not go unnoticed by the woman. She smiled at his demeanor and motioned for him to sit down at the bar.

Sokka reluctantly sat down but kept his gaze intently on the woman awaiting her response. She poured some tea and sat next to him as she began to speak again, "Well, there's a lot of rumors going around that this forest next to the inn is haunted. There have supposedly been several disappearances from the nearby village to add to it. To put it simply, people are afraid to come anywhere near this forest or the mountain."

Sokka thought briefly about what the woman said and did recall hearing some gossip from passing travelers that spirits and demons haunted the mountains to the south.

"Well…what do you think about all of that?" Sokka asked the woman hoping to unveil the mystery behind the wicked aura she seemed to radiate. She shrugged amused, "I think that they're all full of it. Superstitious riff raff and tall tales all of it. If this place was truly haunted, don't you think I would be the first person to know about it?"

"I suppose you would…" Sokka answered as he looked at his tea cup. The woman gave him a mysterious gaze as he nervously avoided conversation.

All of a sudden, Sokka felt extremely uncomfortable as the woman pulled off his coat and traveling pack. She carried them upstairs and left Sokka alone. He felt terrified as he heard the slow creaks of the inn and the heavy thunderstorm raging outside.

'_Maybe people are scared of this place because of this creepy ass woman…I have to get out here!' _Sokka thought desperately as he stood up. He anxiously reached for his belongings but then realized that the woman had taken them upstairs.

His heart began to pound faster and faster as he knew he couldn't leave without his pack. After a long minute of terrified anxiousness, Sokka walked upstairs and slowly came around the corner of an opened door. He saw the old woman laying several blankets and pillows over a medium sized bed.

She saw the boy turn the corner and smiled at him, "You never did tell me your name."

Sokka nervously looked around the room as he answered, "Umm…my name is Sokka."

"Sokka? What a strange name…" the woman said coolly. Sokka's blood turned to ice as the woman placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "My name is Hama. Nice to meet you Sokka."

After awkwardly shaking hands, Sokka pulled some money out of his pockets and handed it to her, "Here's all I have. It's enough right?"

Hama looked at the money in his hand and took it, "This will cover it."

He cautiously smiled as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I've had a pretty long day, I guess I should get some sleep."

"Not one much for conversation are you? No, you seem like a man on the run. Well, Sokka, where are you headed if you don't mind me asking?" Hama questioned him.

"Umm…I was on my way to the eastern port. I am moving out to the colonies with my family," He made up on the spot.

She shook her head and smirked, "You're a terrible liar."

"What makes you say that?" The boy asked nervously.

"Blue eyes, tan skin, and a water bending scroll…you are not from the fire nation, Sokka," Hama stated calmly as she held a scroll up to him. He recognized it as the one that used to belong to Katara. After the events in the north pole, he kept it in the hopes that he could pick up on his sister's abilities, but so far he hadn't been very successful.

He wasn't really sure if he was even capable of becoming a water bender like his sister. Sokka remembered his father once telling him that some people were born with it and that others weren't. As much as he enjoyed being a warrior, he felt almost useless compared to Aang, Katara, or Toph at times.

He had hoped that since his sister was a water bender that maybe he had it in him to be one as well. Sokka stood fearfully silent as the woman stared at him creepily.

His eyes went wide in horror as the woman began to speak again, "Blue eyes are a trait most commonly associated with the natives of the northern and southern water tribes. Which one do you hail from?"

Sokka timidly answered, "I'm…from the Southern water tribe. My father is Hakodo the leader of our village."

"So you're Kya's son then?" Hama asked amazedly.

Sokka was shocked that this woman knew his mother's name but could only nod in response.

"How do you know my mother?" Sokka asked. The older woman smiled at him and laughed, "She was my student…I taught her many of the ancient secrets of the Southern Water Tribe."

"WHAT?! So that means that you're from the southern water tribe too?!" Sokka exclaimed in relief. Hama nodded at his question. Afterwards, Hama sat down on the bed and motioned for Sokka to sit beside her. He did as he was told and watched the woman curiously.

She sighed as she looked down, "Yes…I was once Kya's instructor and a powerful water bender. I taught her the old ways of the true Southern Water Tribe. I haven't seen her in over twenty years…since I was taken prisoner."

"You probably won't ever again…she's dead," Sokka said sadly. Upon hearing this, Hama's eyes lit up with curiosity "Is she now? Kya is truly dead?" Sokka felt a bit uneasy from her lack of emotion.

Sokka nodded slowly, "I don't like to think about it…but the fire nation came to our village and tried to take her away since she was the last water bender. She refused and was killed by the leader of the men there."

"Kya was a very powerful water bender. There's no way they would have simply killed her without some kind of army." Hama said distantly. Sokka studied her face for a moment and could see some sort of emotion in her eyes. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't grief as her demeanor remained completely passive.

"My mother was a water bender, but I never saw her do any of the fancy stuff the northern water tribe masters do. Come to think of it, why is the southern water tribe so underdeveloped compared to the north? " Sokka inquired changing the subject.

"The history between our two tribes is ancient. Long ago we were all one tribe who lived in the north pole." The woman explained.

Sokka raised a brow, "So what happened then? How did we separate?"

The woman frowned, "Well, the first leader of the Southern Water tribe was Skjal Blue Wolf. He was the leader of the Bloodmoon Clan. They were our ancient ancestors. The old tales say that he was exiled along with his followers from the Northern water tribe. Though this was over a thousand years ago. He was said to have been the most powerful water bender that ever lived. Well that is if you exclude the previous Avatars."

"So he colonized the south pole then? Why don't we have any cities like the Northern tribe does?" Sokka shifted back and forth anxiously.

Hama smiled wickedly, "Oh we did have a city…or should I say we still do."

"Really? So where is it exactly? I've never seen any kind of city in the south pole."

Hama looked down, "Sadly its location was lost to me after I spent so many years in prison. Although, Azure City is quite a sight to see. I haven't laid eyes upon it ever since Kya's father sent me to track her down."

"Her father? So my mom ran away from the city? Why? Come to think of it, why haven't they helped in the war?"

"Probably because they don't care. Azure City is impenetrable, and unknown. The king could care less if the occasional border village like yours gets attacked." Hama concluded.

"The king sounds like a nice guy," Sokka stated sarcastically.

Hama laughed at his joke and added, "It must run in your family because King Sokyo Blue Wolf is Kya's father and your grandfather."

"Woah woah hold on a second! Did you just say I am a descendant of this Blue Wolf guy?!" Sokka demanded disbelievingly. Hama nodded her head in response, "Yes, your mother was the princess of Azure City, but she abandoned the Bloodmoon Clan and ran away from home."

This caused the warrior to shake his head, "So…my mom's royalty but she ran away? Why didn't she want to stay in the city? Why didn't she ever tell us about that place?"

Hama sighed as she shook her head, "I have no idea. I got overwhelmed and captured by a Fire Nation raid before I could locate her. I had a suspicion she was hiding in one of the border villages. Although I never got to prove it…until just now."

"So she ran away and met my dad…" Sokka trailed off.

Hama shrugged, "I don't know the rest of the story. I find it very unusual that somebody as powerful as her was killed by simple fire nation raiders…was no one else in your village there to witness the event?"

Sokka sighed as he looked away, "Nobody saw anything…I just wish there was something I could have done. Sometimes I feel so powerless. I mean my sister is the water bender in our family…she's the one who made a difference in all of our travels so far. I'm just a warrior…a lousy one at that."

"You're not a bender?" Hama asked incredulously. Sokka shook his head, "No…I am not."

She shook her head confused, "You're Kya's son and the descendant of the Blue Wolf line. How can you not waterbend?"

He shrugged, "I always thought that stuff was kind of creepy. Mom never really taught Katara either. She sort of just learned it on her own."

"Very strange indeed…" Hama said distantly. Sokka got the impression she knew way more than she was letting on but kept his mouth shut.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Sokka finally spoke again, "You really think I can waterbend?"

She nodded, "Of course I do. I am surprised your mother never taught you. I suppose she wanted her children to be normal instead of benders."

"Maybe she had her reasons. I can't imagine any group with 'blood' in its name that is considered good," Sokka joked.

The woman nodded in agreement, "Maybe she did it for your own protection…still though, these kind of abilities normally manifest on their own. Have you ever tried water bending before?"

"I don't know…I guess I never really learned. Katara is the one who always found it so fascinating. I just tried to be like my dad. He is a warrior," Sokka explained.

The woman thought for a moment, "Well I don't see why you can't be both."

"So you really don't know where this Azure City is? Why didn't you keep looking for it?" Sokka demanded.

Hama sighed, "I didn't really want to say this, but the King would probably execute me for returning without Kya after all of these years. Failure and weakness is not tolerated within the clan."

"I think I can see why mom left now…they sound kind of bad. Although where could they possibly be in the South pole? It seems kind of hard to miss a city," Sokka stated skeptically.

Hama sighed at his words, "All I remember is that the city is past the Skylight glaciers somewhere. You must be a water bender to even reach it."

This caught the water tribesman's attention, "My grangran always told us never to go there. She said that it was haunted by spirits and demons. Even my dad was afraid of that place. I thought it was superstitious nonsense, but my father made me promise to stay away from it."

"Most likely it was a scheme devised by your mother to keep you away from the city."

Sokka crossed his arms, "Why didn't the King send anybody else to track down my mom after you failed to report back after all those years?"

"You're pretty sharp, Sokka…I honestly do not know the answer to that question sadly."

"So if I'm royalty…could I go there and get training?" Sokka asked hopefully.

Hama shook her head, "I would advise against that. At least until you learn more about the art of Southern water bending."

"There's a big story about this place…maybe I'll get my friends to check it out with me once I regroup with them." Sokka commented.

She cocked her head, "So tell me about these friends of yours and where you are actually heading?"

"Well…my sister and I kind of found the Avatar trapped in an iceberg and we've been traveling with him ever since," Sokka answered. Hama's eyes widened in surprise, "The Avatar? He's alive?"

Sokka nodded, "Yes, his name is Aang and he's a twelve year old air bender."

The woman's excitement quickly died down, "Oh, so he's just a kid? So I'm guessing he doesn't even know the other elements yet?"

"He knows water and earth bending now, but Aang still needs a fire bending teacher."

"So is that why you're in the fire nation then?" Hama questioned inquisitively.

Sokka sighed, "Well it's a long story. We were heading to Ba Sing Se to see the Earth King when we were attacked by Princess Azula and her friends. They've been hunting us."

Hama huffed at the name, "So, Ozai's got his royal brat chasing you kids then? Interesting."

"Yeah, and I was injured in the attack and I woke up in some Fire Nation prison boat on my way over here. I eventually managed to escape, but I'm guessing my friends probably think I'm dead," the water tribesman explained.

She shook her head in disappointment, "You need to learn water bending, Sokka. You wouldn't have been captured if you were trained."

"Well who the hell is going to train me? Hell, I don't even know if I can waterbend yet anyways!?" the boy asked frustrated.

"I could train you. I could teach you what I taught your mother. Although, it would mean not being able to return to your friends for a while," Hama responded. Her eyes had a glowing anticipation about them as she eagerly awaited his answer.

After a long silence the teenager finally shrugged, "Well if you think I'm some kind of water bending prince then by all means teach me what you know."

"Believe me, you are. Kya possessed the hidden power of the royal family. Unfortunately, I don't have the bloodline to master it like you do."

"Well here's another problem…I don't really have enough money to stay here," Sokka trailed off.

She smiled, "Don't worry about that. In fact this room is yours for as long as you want to stay. I owe hospitality to any member of my tribe."

"Well thanks then. I guess it would probably be in everybody's best interest if I learned how to waterbend before going back to them. All I want to know is what's the catch?" Sokka asked.

"All I ask though is a single favor in return," Hama smiled sinisterly.

"What favor would that be?" Sokka crossed his arms.

"Promise you will learn everything I have to teach and use it for the glory of our people," Hama answered.

"I can do that," Sokka stated in hopeful agreement.

She eyed him sternly, "You promise? You swear? I have your word?"

"Yes, I will learn everything you have to teach," he confirmed excitedly. Hama smiled wickedly at his answer.

Without another word the creepy woman left the room leaving Sokka alone to ponder. _'So I am royalty? Well at least that crazy Fire nation princess can't call me a peasant anymore. I sure hope I can learn water bending.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Sokka was awoken before sunrise with a bucket of water splashing him in bed. He immediately jumped up in panic, "What the hell?!"

"Good morning, Sokka, it's time for your first day of training. I woke you up bright and early so we can get a headstart on it," She stated excitedly.

The water tribesman did not share her enthusiasm as he groaned, "I'm soaking wet and the sun isn't even up yet!"

Much to his surprise and relief, Hama pulled the water off of him and the bed into a small little orb rotating around her fingertip. He watched in awe as it turned to ice, back to water, and then disperse into the air.

"Wow…that's a fancy trick," He laughed.

"I'm glad you think so, because today you're going to learn about the basics of water bending. Meet me downstairs for breakfast and we will begin training afterwards," she responded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After an awkwardly silent breakfast, the two were outside behind the inn standing right next to a small river. Hama turned to face him, "Forget everything you have ever heard or seen about water bending from your sister, or the sister tribe. Today you learn the Southern Water Tribe's way."

Sokka sighed, "How are they any different? Isn't water bending just water bending?"

"That is like saying two fighting styles with swords are completely the same. The Northern tribe focuses more on a defensive balanced stance called Open Palm, while the Southern tribe focuses on the stronger and more aggressive style, Closed Fist. Both styles originate from the duality of our belief system. The Northern Tribe believes more in peace and harmony while our tribe is more warlike focusing on combat and domination. This difference of opinions and styles is what led to the eventual schism," Hama explained.

Sokka soaked in her words with complete fascination and remained silent waiting for her to continue. After a brief moment she did, "Closed Fist is similar to the way fire benders manipulate fire. It is harnessed from emotion. Rage is the most common one used within this style. It is very powerful, but extremely difficult to use practically. Novices of this style tend to fight like careless berserkers, but the true masters find a way to harness their rage and control it."

"So I have to be mad to use this style?" Sokka asked.

Hama nodded, "In a manner of speaking. Water is emotion, life, the embodiment of change and desire…you must look deep within yourself and discover what things you feel strongest about. Imagine the man who killed your mother, imagine the firelord himself burning down your village. Imagine your father, all alone on a battlefield, helpless with nobody to save him in sight. How does that makes you feel?"

Sokka closed his eyes and pictured what the woman described. At first he attempted to shield himself from the emotion with humor, "Doesn't Ozai have better things to do like plot world domination?"

"You shield your emotions well, Sokka…perhaps that is why you are not the water bender and your sister is," Hama noted.

He didn't know why, but this comment infuriated him. Sokka had never been jealous or spiteful of Katara's water bending, but something about the way Hama compared them brought a surge of emotions through him. Hama quickly took notice of this.

"Your sister is a water bender and your friend is the avatar…I imagine you must feel pretty useless in real battles don't you? Watching them fight fire benders while you stand on the sidelines…having them abandon you because you were just a liability to begin with," Hama venomously prodded.

"SHUT UP!" Sokka roared unable to contain his emotions any longer. Hama simply stood there and smiled at him as he panted heavily searing in anger. She looked towards the nearby river and could see slight fluctuations in the flow between each of Sokka's breaths.

"What's wrong, Sokka? You're not angry are you? All I said was you are weak," Hama continued hoping to draw out even more of his emotion. Sokka could barely describe what he was feeling at the moment.

This was the first time he had ever been this angry since his mother died. His mind was swirling like a storm.

"You don't even know me or my friends! I am not a liability! I've been there with them ever since we started this journey! I am not weak!" Sokka shouted at the woman as he reached for his club. He didn't know what possessed him to do this however.

"Oh? What are you going to do with that thing, Sokka? Uselessly swing it at me?" Hama laughed. Finally, his rage completely exploded out of him, "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The water from the river rose and shot out in all directions from Sokka's display. Afterwards he fell to his knees and was panting so heavily he could barely breathe. Several tears ran down his face as he shamefully looked away from the old woman.

"See what you just did, Sokka?" she asked.

"I don't care!" he shouted without even thinking. After a brief moment the scene began to register in his mind. "Did I just waterbend?" he asked in disbelief still shaking with emotion.

Hama nodded at him, "The reason you were never able to waterbend before is because you have suppressed your emotions for too long. You can no longer pretend they are not there. I imagine your sister must be very emotional to have developed the ability on her own."

Sokka was finally beginning to calm down and thought for a moment, "I guess that makes sense to me…"

"As you can see, rage is powerful, so is fear, and doubt. You cannot dismiss these emotions anymore, because they are a part of who you are. If you truly wish to become a water bender you must harness them and use them as a reminder every hour of every day as to why you're here," she offered Sokka a hand up which the warrior took.

"How can I feel like this all the time though…it's just too much to bear?" Sokka asked.

To be a true master of Closed Fist, you must master your emotions and find the perfect balance between rage and serenity. Achieving purpose, working towards a goal…these are things that help one to succeed in this endeavor. Turn your rage into passion, turn your fear into strength, turn your doubt into ambition."

"How though? Why not simply balance all of my emotions like the Northern tribe does?" he asked.

Hama scoffed at him, "They are too passive and orderly. Why impose a restriction on the art of water bending when the art itself is chaotic by its very nature. Water is the element of passion and change. Believe me, our way is superior."

"So where do we go from here then?" he asked finally calm once more.

She smiled, "I want you to remind yourself of your previous failures and use them as motivation to better yourself. For now, we will go over the basic stances.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In the weeks that followed, Hama taught a large variety of water bending techniques to Sokka. The young water tribesman picked up on the ability surprisingly quick, despite his skepticism and overall disposition towards bending originally.

The young man couldn't help but feel strange as the weeks rolled by with his new master. The older woman was very mysterious and in some ways she was kind of spiteful. Sokka both feared and respected the way she commanded the element of water. That being said, the breakthroughs he made over the past few weeks were solid proof that she was right about the superiority of the Southern Tribe's style.

Unlike the traditional training that water benders undergo in the northern water tribe, Hama's training was far different than what Sokka had seen Aang and Katara practice. Hama taught him that water was present wherever there was life. It could be found in plants, in the air, and even in one's own body.

She taught the boy how to pull water out of the air and how to make ice claws, but one of the most interesting things that Hama taught Sokka was the art of healing and knowledge of the human body. She thoroughly explained that an adept understanding of the human body is another important requirement of being a master water bender.

After a long eight weeks of training, Sokka finally felt like it was time for him to move on. He missed his friends and family and had begun to grow nervous that the fire nation would eventually find him. This fear was implanted by Hama's stories of what the fire nation did to water bender prisoners.

Sokka walked downstairs from his permanent room in the inn to be greeted by Hama sitting a table. Next to her was an empty seat with a full plate of food on the table. Next to his plate, Sokka spotted a cup of his favorite tea that the woman only made for him on rare occasions.

She called it Moon Tea. Sokka took his seat and began to eat his food. On his plate was a delicious portion of fish and beef as well as several fruits and vegetables. His master stressed the importance of a diverse diet. Sokka couldn't help but agree at her tastes.

"How long have you been living here now, Sokka? Seven, eight weeks?" Hama asked curiously. Sokka shrugged at her question, "Something like that…I can't help but think that I've been here for too long. I mean lately I can't stop worrying about my friends. I hope they made it to Ba Sing Se."

Hama visibly frowned at that statement and looked down with a dejected look on her face, "So you want to go look for them now?"

The boy shook his head, "I need to go help my friends and my father. They are in the earth kingdom. I can't stay here forever…not with this war going on."

Hama smiled at his answer and stood up, "Please stay one more night. I have several parting gifts for you."

The Water tribesman was uncertain what Hama's "gifts" would be, but he figured one more night wouldn't kill him.

Sokka spent the rest of the day in the nearby village with Hama.

In the village, Sokka heard many strange rumors about a mysterious witch who would abduct people at night, and of a sickening smell of blood that seemed to come from the mountain pass. The more he lived here, the more Sokka began to worry that Hama was somehow more than she appeared to be.

Although his intense focus on his training had kept him distracted from the troubles, Sokka had a really bad feeling about Hama the longer he spent time at the inn. As the weeks had passed, she seemed to be manipulating his morality.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, Hama asked Sokka to go on a walk with her. He reluctantly agreed, but was sure to hide his suspicion. After a brief walk up the trail through the forest, the two were now getting closer towards the haunted mountain. "So…why exactly are we walking out here in the middle of the night?" Sokka asked cautiously as he looked around.

Hama looked at him and laughed, "Don't tell me you're afraid now Sokka. I thought you weren't superstitious."

"I'm not, but I am cautious. Something is definitely wrong with this forest. Is that why we're walking? To investigate this?" he queried.

The woman shrugged, "Something like that. I just wanted to show you the greatest power of water bending since it is a full moon tonight."

Sokka looked up into the night sky and gazed at the moon. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic of Yue when he gazed at it, but it also gave him a surging boost of adrenaline. He silently followed Hama up the mountain pass until finally they reached a cave.

Before she entered, Hama stopped and turned to face him, "Before we go in, Sokka…I just want to say that I'm proud of all you accomplished over these past two months. After tonight, you will know the true power of the Southern Water tribe."

The water tribesman felt extremely uneasy from the cold and distant tone that Hama was using. She turned and continued walking leaving him at the entrance. Sokka stood there momentarily contemplating whether or not it would be in his best interest to leave.

He thought hard for a moment as he looked back up at the moon, _'If I had been stronger, maybe you would still be here Yue. C'mon, Sokka, don't be afraid. If I ever want to make everybody proud, then I have to do this!'_

Finally, the boy decided to enter the cave. He felt somewhat odd as he entered the pitch black darkness now shrouded from the moon's light. It seemed almost symbolic that maybe following Hama out of a desire for power was going to lead him astray.

Nevertheless, he stuck by his choice and carried on until finally he came upon a well lit hallway. Lamps lined the walls of this underground hallway which caused Sokka to feel extremely nervous as he started piecing parts of the mystery behind Hama together.

'_No…she's the witch that the town is talking about! Oh no why the hell did I come here?!' _The water tribesman panicked. Before he had a chance to turn around, Hama placed a hand on his shoulder from behind and laughed, "Did you get lost, Sokka?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, the boy turned to face her fearfully, "What the hell is this cave? Are you the witch the townspeople keep talking about?!"

Hama looked slightly angry at Sokka's accusation, "I am a member of your tribe, Sokka. You have nothing to fear from me. However, these fire nation villagers on the other hand have everything to fear!"

"So you've been kidnapping villagers?! How, and why?" Sokka asked hysterically as he backed away. Hama silently smiled as she followed him. It wasn't long before he was running full speed to escape her, but upon turning the corner, he met a dead end.

"What the hell?!" Sokka's eyes widened as he lost all control over his body. His muscles strained rendering him unable to move. He could hear Hama's voice laughing, "You can't out run me, Sokka. I'm a blood bender."

She forced Sokka to his knees in front of her and grinned sickeningly, "I did kidnap the villagers. They make excellent test subjects for my blood bending."

"Blood bending?! Are you serious?! Is that why I can't move?!" Sokka questioned fearfully. The woman nodded.

"This is sick! Let me go, Hama!" Sokka demanded hoping to cover up his fear. The woman shook her head, "You see how I have you in the palm of my hand? I can make you do anything."

Suddenly, the boy felt himself twisting and moving in awkward positions before hitting the ceiling.

"It wouldn't matter if you were the Firelord himself, there is only one defense against blood bending, Sokka…" Hama whispered in his ear. Her hot breath made him shiver uncontrollably as he was forced back to his knees.

"What kind of sick power is this? Where in the world did you learn about this blood bending Hama?" Sokka questioned desperately.

She grinned, "The Bloodmoon Clan of course… Any skilled water bender has the ability to perform this technique during a full moon, but those of the royal family can do it whenever they please. Your mother ran away after I taught it to her."

The water tribesman struggled with all his might to break free, but was unsuccessful as Hama held him in place.

"This is unnatural and evil! You can't do this to me!" he shouted.

She laughed at him, "Why not? Who says I can't? Here is your final lesson, Sokka…there are two kinds of people in this world. You can either be prey, or a predator. You are a wolf, Sokka, it's time for you to unleash the beast within!"

Sokka shook violently as he attempted to break the grip, "ARGH! Let me go, Hama! I thought we were friends!"

"Oh, we still are. This is simply the way blood bending is properly taught. You must learn how it affects your own body and feel the pressure in your veins surge as I bend you. There's only one way to free yourself…you have to blood bend, Sokka," The woman said almost casually.

He was barely able to move his legs before Hama tightened her blood grip on him, "Do it Sokka, you have the ability to break free whenever you want. All you have to do is let go."

"N-NEVER!" he shouted in defiance. He barely moved his body as his muscles strained heavily.

She shook her head in irritation, "DO IT! Or I'll make you kill the villagers myself!"

The boy was in a serious moral dilemma because he knew that this form of bending was sick and evil. He mustered his remaining willpower to resist as Hama started to twist and smash him against the walls.

"DO IT, SOKKA!" she commanded angrily. The boy was now covered in bruises and had bloody cuts covering most of his body.

He coughed heavily, "How does this make you any better than the Firelord himself? I could agree with you on closed fist, but this goes too far! Aang and Katara would hate me for this!"

"You fool, you don't even understand what I offer. You don't need your little friends, you don't need the Avatar or some rag tag coalition either. With blood bending, you have the power to surpass them, maybe even defeat the Firelord yourself," Hama ranted.

Sokka shook his head, "If it's so powerful, then why haven't you done it?!"

"I'm not a member of the royal family…I can only blood bend on full moons. You on the other hand can do it anytime you please. All you have to do is let go, Sokka. Let go of your petty morals and remember why you wanted to become a water bender in the first place. Embrace the inner truths of Closed Fist," Her words sank deep causing the water tribesman to stop struggling for a moment.

"When those fire nation men came to our village, mom didn't even fight. She just let the leader of those troops kill her. She never taught water bending to Katara or myself because she probably feared us having this power," Sokka realized stating his epiphany aloud.

Hama sighed, "You see where that got her right? Dead and forgotten. She was a complete waste of potential and life. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that you turned out to be the same. Well, at least I can always find that sister of yours…maybe she'll be willing to do what is necessary."

"IF YOU GO ANYWHERE NEAR KATARA I WILL KILL YOU!" Sokka shouted in pure rage. He managed to break free of Hama's blood grip and reached for her. To his own horror, he realized that he was choking her halfway across the hallway with blood bending.

Hama managed to break free of his grip and started to laugh maniacally, "HAHAHAHAHAHA! My work is finally complete! Congratulations Sokka! You're now a blood bender!"

The water tribesman covered his face and backed into a nearby wall sliding down to the ground. He rocked back and forth with panicking denial.

"No matter what happens now, you will never forget this, Sokka…" Hama chuckled sadistically as Sokka began to quietly sob.

"I didn't want this…I just wanted to help my friends," Sokka muttered in denial.

Hama shook her head in amusement, "There's one last thing I neglected to mention…the reason your mother died is because I helped the Southern Raiders kill her. Held her in place long enough for them to strike her down. It serves the bitch right for ruining my life! She had everything…and threw it all away! It's her fault I was captured and imprisoned, and it's her fault that I can no longer go home!"

"WHAT?!" Sokka screamed in bloodlust as he began to smash her against the walls with blood bending. His grip was so hard that the blood within Hama's body began to compress painfully throughout her entire bloodstream.

"Why did you train me then if you hate her?! What kind of sick person are you?!" he demanded.

She smiled, "It was her dying wish for her children to never become blood benders…I ruined it HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Do our tribe proud my prince!"

Much to Sokka's complete and utter horror, the woman broke free of his grip and formed an ice claw over her finger. With one simple motion she slit her throat and fell over dead. Sokka was in such a whirlwind of emotions that he couldn't even fathom the situation. Without even another glance, he ran as fast as he could. It wasn't long before he made it outside of the cave.

He felt nothing but horror as the sight of Hama killing herself replayed over and over in his mind like a broken record. Sokka was completely overwhelmed and didn't know what to do, so he just kept on running. He just ran and ran and ran.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well people I hope you enjoyed this little fic so far. I know it's pretty gruesome there near the end of the chapter. I realize I may have gotten a few things off canonically but hopefully it didn't bother you. Let me know what you think about it so far. I may or may not continue it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Southern Raiders

Several days had passed since Sokka's horrific experience with Hama. The new water bender was still shaken up over the whole event. He managed to get a considerable distance away from the village much to his relief, but sadly he couldn't outrun his own memories.

Sokka often found it easy to push aside his thoughts in the past, but all of that changed after Hama. He ran for almost a day straight with barely any food or water after that night. He collapsed several times along the way when he couldn't run anymore. Although when he fell asleep his new nightmares would emerge. It kept him from wanting to sleep which only made him collapse more.

He had passed out twice now. The first time was off the road in a ditch and the second time was behind a small house that belonged to a rural family. Sokka tried everything he could to block out the trauma of blood bending and the sight of Hama's suicide, yet oddly enough he found solace in the very teachings Hama taught him.

The teenager realized that he needed to make some kind of mental goal and shift his priorities and thoughts towards achieving it. Strangely enough, it kept him from thinking too much about what happened as he was now on his way to the eastern port.

He could see a harbor village in the horizon and began to contemplate how he was going to stowaway to the Earth Kingdom. As he made it closer to the village, it looked much bigger than he originally estimated causing him to sigh with exhaustion. Upon reaching the gates, he noticed a lot of fire nation guards. _'Oh please don't let any of them recognize me!' _he thought concerned as he kept a casual grin on his face walking past the first two guards.

They didn't turn as he passed which was a sign of relief. "Hey, I recognize you, Halt!" a guard stated from behind. Sokka cringed as he turned around slowly. Much to his complete and utter relief, the guard was talking to somebody else who he had not noticed.

"You're a wanted criminal…do you know what we do to criminals?" the guard asked the person. Sokka briefly looked at him trying not to draw attention to himself. The man appeared to be an average looking older man with a beard.

"You must be mistaken, I was on my way to the colonies to see my family," the man responded defensively.

The other guard cut in, "You're face is on this wanted poster, earth bender! Get him!"

The man immediately began to earth bend two pillars out of the ground slamming the two guards away. He then dashed past Sokka. The water tribesman kept his face covered as the fire nation guards chased after the man. It wasn't long before half the port was after him.

Sokka walked swiftly but subtlety as he tried to blend in with the crowd hoping he wouldn't be recognized either. He could see the earth bender fighting off multiple guards, but the man was becoming quickly overwhelmed.

He wanted to help him, but Sokka didn't want to risk his own recapture. The man decided to make a mad dash for one of the fire nation ships, but sadly he was brought down by a horrific spout of blue flames. Sokka immediately recognized them and began to panic as an all too familiar voice rang out, "You guards are worthless! You can't even catch one earth bending prisoner!?"

It was the fire nation princess herself, Azula. Sokka's mind raced over countless reasons why she would be here of all places. His curiosity surpassed his concern as he tried to listen in on Azula ranting at the guards.

"You there, worthless guard, what is your name?!" Azula asked the guard captain who had finally made his way over to the scene. He nervously looked around, "My name is Captain-"

"I don't care what your name is! You're fired…take this prisoner back to the capital and explain to the nobles why you couldn't catch him without Princess Azula doing your job for you!" The princess ordered callously.

The guard captain fearfully nodded in response, "Yes, Princess Azula, come men let us leave at once."

He seemed to be walking at an unusually fast pace in an effort to flee Azula. Under normal circumstances Sokka would find it funny, but right now he wasn't very far away from ending up like that earth bender.

It was a scary thought that he would be in chains right now if he decided to help that earth bender. Deciding it was time to leave, he made his way slowly around a corner and began to cautiously prowl. He decided to alley hop behind cover as often as he could just in case Azula came around the next corner.

His nervousness only continued to amplify as he neared the docks. There was no cover for a straight path to the nearest ship. Although that got him thinking, _'Which ship is going where? How in the world am I going to find out?!' _

He cautiously peeked around the corner and looked both ways before making it to a market stall nearby that was selling fish. Thinking quickly, he asked the fisherman, "Hey, I'm kind of lost right now. My family and I are moving to the colonies and I don't remember which ship they told me to get on. Do you know which ship is going there?"

The man gave him an understanding look and chuckled, "Haha, it's okay kid, I got lost the first time I came here too. I don't remember where that transport ship is either. You could ask one of the guards, I'm sure they'd know."

Sokka nodded, "Oh okay, well thanks anyways." He quickly distanced himself from the man and kept his face away from guards. He didn't know what to do or which way to even go. The thought of a guard calling him out at any moment began to make him paranoid as he continued walking. He felt as if he was being followed but tried to remain unnoticeable.

He looked at the ships more closely as he passed through the harbor. Thankfully he managed to eavesdrop several fire nations officers talking, "The admiral called off all departures for ships heading to the Earth Kingdom. Can you believe this crap?"

"Why would he do that though? I have a wave of reinforcements for Omashu and front line benders for the siege on Ba Sing Se. We even got the drill loaded on the carrier! The general is going to have my head if we're late!" another officer cut in.

"Well Princess Azula ordered all outgoing vessels to the Earth Kingdom to stay…would you have the admiral disobey her?" another one added.

The first officer shook his head, "I suppose you can't blame him…there's no saying no to her."

"Why is she even here?" one of them asked.

"Who knows…why does it even matter at this point? They're going to do full sweeps of every ship for the next day because of this nonsense. "

Much to their horror, the Fire Nation princess herself answered, "You there, captain, since when have you ever needed a reason to do as I say?"

The officer looked terrified and answered timidly, "N-never princess, Azula…we were just curious."

"I am here to make sure that no earth bender spies catch wind of our plan to drill through the walls of Ba Sing Se. As you can clearly see…the guards are completely useless and let people slip through the cracks. My father wants Ba Sing Se and I would hate for him to find out that his plans were ruined because you were too lazy to do your jobs," she explained venomously.

Sokka inwardly cursed to himself, _'Damn…how the hell am I going to get out of here now? It's not like I can stowaway with them searching everywhere. I can't stay here or I'm going to back to prison…' _He immediately took cover around a corner as Azula left the officers alone.

After she was gone they began to gossip again. "Is anybody else heading out today? I mean besides Earth Kingdom departures?" the second officer asked.

The first one nodded, "Yes, the Southern Raiders are…sometimes I wish I got stationed with them. It must be real easy sailing around the south pole doing absolutely nothing."

Sokka had a surge of thoughts echo through his brain as he remembered the name. _'Southern Raiders…Hama said that they killed mom.'_

It didn't take long for him to formulate a new strategy, _'Okay, so if I can find these Southern Raiders, maybe I can get the hell out of here. Then I can find the man who killed mom…'_

It was an odd sensation he was feeling. Sokka had another path open before him. One that led away from Ba Sing Se and his friends and towards the South Pole and retribution. Deciding it was his only viable option, he slipped away.

If miracles existed, Sokka certainly just had one as he managed to come across a board mapped with each of the current ships and destinations. He could barely believe the luck as he spotted the Southern Raiders' ships not far from his location.

Wasting no time, the water tribesman made his way towards the ships. As he got within distance of them he began to panic since they were already pulling out of the harbor. _'NO! They're already leaving!' _

Desperate to escape his inevitable capture, the warrior dove onto the nearest boat catching the attention of several nearby guards. It didn't take long for him to fire it up and pursue the departing ships. By this point the was a prime target for suspicion as several guards chased after him. Much to their surprise, he knocked them off their boats with a good ole fashioned water bending whip.

"There's a water bender stealing one of the boats! All guards pursue, I repeat all guards pursue at once!" One of the officers yelled. Sokka didn't look back and kept his face covered as he neared the ships which were now leaving the bay. Thankfully the Southern Raiders didn't seem to notice him as he sank his boat and climbed on board.

He dodged a few patrols as he carefully held himself over the railing in the back of the ship. Sokka could barely make out signs of fire flashing in the distance. He guessed it was some sort of flare or code to warn the ships. Unfortunately several guards took notice of the sign and were about to call it out until they found themselves flying off the back of the ship and into the water.

He nearly panicked when he saw blue flames attempt a flare, but thankfully, the ships didn't stop.

It wasn't long before the three ships of the Southern Raiders were out of range from the port much to Sokka's relief. However, now he was stuck with a fleet of fire nation soldiers heading to the South Pole. He began to think about where he was going to sleep and eat while stowing away on the ship.

As he pulled himself up off the railing, he could see that he was on one of the two smaller ships. The big one in front of them was probably the flagship he guessed. It wasn't going to do him much good trying to commandeer his current ship when the two others were nearby. Plus Sokka had a feeling that the man who killed his mother was on the flagship.

"Have you seen our rear patrol? They haven't passed by in a while…" a deep voiced and angry sounding fire bender asked. Sokka guessed he was the quartermaster or some kind of officer.

A nearby soldier shrugged, "They're probably sleeping on the job. Those two have been really unreliable lately."

"Go find them!" the quartermaster ordered. "Yes sir!" the man responded as he ran towards the rear of the ship.

Sokka managed to dodge him as he dashed to a nearby set of stairs down into the ship. He carefully snuck through the bowels of the ship before finally reaching the engine room. It wasn't his first choice, but Sokka managed to locate a nook behind one of the nearby support beams which overlooked the whole engine room. He laid his head down and caught his breath.

'_This should be a safe enough place to lay low for now. I guess I can steal some food when I have to and stay here until the ships get to the South Pole.' _he decided as he began to drift into a deep and long overdue sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two weeks…it had been two weeks since Sokka stowed away on a ship. Two weeks was beginning to feel like two years to the young man. Not only was it extremely difficult to constantly sneak around to steal food and to answer nature's call, but Sokka was getting dreadfully bored with the prison of metal he had to hide in.

There had been countless times over the fortnight that the crew members took notice of missing food and water. They were still especially paranoid about the missing crew members that Sokka washed out to sea. They hadn't come anywhere close to finding him thankfully, but his main concern was that the ship would receive a messenger hawk.

Another concern was the crew members constantly looking over their shoulders claiming the ship was haunted. This made it much more difficult for Sokka to move around which in turn just kept him staring at the all too familiar walls day and night.

Sokka hadn't even seen the sun during this time which is why he felt so disconnected from time and reality. Much to his relief, however, he overheard news from the engine workers that the fleet was finally closing in on its destination.

'Finally! Now…how am I going to get to that flagship?' he pondered as he began to sneak through a nearby duct and up through the ship. He managed to locate a window about a week and a half ago which he decided would be his emergency exit if the need arose. He slipped out the open window and squinted as the sun glared blindingly into his eyes.

After a moment of recovery, he spotted icebergs sticking out of the water. The cold air and frigid winds felt overwhelming at first as he took in a deep breath and exhaled in relief. He never thought he would see the South Pole again after he was captured by the fire nation. Pushing aside his nostalgia, he focused on his task at hand and climbed up to the deck along the side of the ship.

He peaked over the railing and noticed a platoon of soldiers standing in formation on the ship. The ship was pulling into what appeared to be a water tribe village. Sokka thought it was his at first, but didn't recognize any of the people there.

A wave or emotions ran through him seeing the fearful faces of the villagers as the Southern Raiders charged off the ship. He wasn't going to let them hurt those people…his people.

The raiders launched balls of fire towards the small wall of the village. It instantly collapsed as they marched further in. Sokka charged off the ship behind them and felt a surge of anger explode out of him as he grabbed his club and attacked.

The soldiers barely knew what hit them as Sokka pummeled them from behind. It wasn't long before they were all aware of his presence. The warrior could see the other two ships pulling up nearby as waves of soldiers came off of them as well.

They all surrounded him and simultaneously sprayed him with fire on all sides. Much to their surprise, he blocked it by sucking up a bunch of water into a massive bubble. This caught the villagers' attention as well. The warriors came to Sokka's defense and flanked the fire nation soldiers. Sokka could barely make out what was happening as black snow and fire rained all around him. He formed water over his club and swung it in an arc deflecting another wave.

As the weapon swung, the water on it stretched into a long whip and turned into ice carving through several fire benders. This display greatly terrified many of the guards causing them to temporarily stop attacking. As the smoke cleared, they all stared at Sokka incredulously.

"What are all of you staring at?! Kill him!" the quartermaster shouted annoyed as he pushed past several soldiers.

None of them made any sudden movements as Sokka lifted his club up again forming another whip of water over it.

"Fine then! I'll fight you myself!" the quartermaster boasted as he exhaled fire from his mouth. This display caused many of the water tribe warriors to back away.

Sokka holstered his weapon as he dropped into the aggressive closed fist stance. The man eyed him confused and angry, "Where the hell did you come from?!"

"I stowed away. Thanks for the ride…although next time I want a bed," Sokka laughed causing the man to become even more upset.

"I'm going to gut you whelp!" he shouted as punched towards Sokka launching a ball of fire. The man then swung around in adjacent arcs as if he was expecting a defensive water bending move. Much to his surprise, Sokka didn't deflect his attack, but went straight through it as he charged the man with a shield of ice.

He sent a fiery kick towards it, but failed to do any damage as the shield dispersed into water and twisted into an ice-tipped whip. The man cried out in agony as it slashed across his chest creating a huge gash.

"You little shit! You're going to die for that! Men attack him! Everybody kill him!" the quartermaster ordered. Sokka soon found himself in another storm of fire. Thinking fast, he pulled all of the nearby snow towards him and unleashed it in a frost nova sending sharp icy spikes in all directions. The surrounding guards didn't stand a chance as they all fell over in pain. The quartermaster managed to avoid them and charged Sokka.

Fire, Ice, and Water clashed back and forth between the two benders in a furious display of aggression. The man clearly had experience battling water benders, but Sokka's aggressive style kept the man from breaking through his defenses. It wasn't long before Sokka found a moment of opportunity and froze the man completely in place.

By this time, more Southern Raiders were arriving at the scene. "You really need to chill out," the Southern water tribesman laughed. Before the quartermaster could respond, Sokka heard the clapping of hands, "Bravo, bravo. You fought well water bender. Very well. It's not every day that I see so many of my men defeated by one bender."

Sokka immediately shifted into an angry glare as he recognized the man was probably the leader of the Southern Raiders. He had a smug unconcerned look on his face, "I've never seen a water bender quite like you before…very aggressive and brutal."

Sokka wanted revenge on this man for killing his mother, but remained calm for the time being. "Leave these people alone, the Southern Water Tribe is under my protection!"

The leader laughed at him, "Haha I can see that boy. Just who are you exactly? Where are you from?"

"That's none of your concern…but I know who you are," he shot back.

"Is that so? Everybody knows who I am boy. Yon Rha Commander of the Southern Raiders," the man boasted. Sokka gave him a fierce glare and shook his head, "No, I know you as the man who killed my mother!"

He looked confused at the claim, "Did I now? I must say it is hard to remember all of the accidents we have had over the years. Too many of your little villages feel the need to fight us when all we ask is that they turn over their water benders."

"There are no more water benders in the south pole!" one of the villagers shouted. Sokka and Yon Rha looked over to see a woman with angry eyes. She appeared to be in her early to mid twenties from what Sokka could gather.

Yon Rha shook his head and laughed, "Clearly that's a lie because how do you explain him?" the man pointed at Sokka causing the woman to frown.

"You people must really think I'm stupid. You water tribes like to pretend you're not doing anything down here, but I know you are! One of your traitors told me about a city! Where is it!?" the leader demanded furiously.

Many of the villagers looked confused, but the woman seemed to know what they were talking about judging by her downcast and frustrated sigh. "Tell me where the city is and we will leave your little village alone," he stated somewhat sincerely.

Sokka could tell he wasn't though. "Tell me now or everybody here dies!" Yon Rha shouted.

"I can show you!" the woman finally spoke up. Yon had a pleased look on his face, "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

The woman looked down in shame, "Promise you will leave these people alone."

"Of course…you have my word," the man responded. Sokka was still trying to piece the whole scene together in his head. He gave a curious look towards the woman and widened his eyes in surprise as she winked at him. _'Did she just wink at me?!' _Sokka wondered as two guards escorted the woman past the water tribe warriors towards the flagship.

As she passed Sokka she sent him a quick glance and whispered, "Just follow my lead."

This went unnoticed by Yon Rha or his guards thankfully as the man turned around and ordered them to depart. "You're coming too, stowaway!" the leader said as he pushed Sokka towards the flagship along with the woman.

Sokka would be lying if he said he didn't find her attractive. She had recognizable water tribe features, yet she had a very unique appearance. Her hair was long and black with a white streak near the front. Her coat was different from the ones the people in the village wore. Hers was dark blue and black with a blue fist on the back.

The water tribesman wondered how this hadn't caused any suspicion up until this point from the villagers. Sokka caught the distraught glances from the people of the village as he and the mysterious woman were escorted away. After his display it seemed odd to them that he was letting himself be taken in.

"Not so smug now are you little whelp!" the quartermaster shouted at him from behind as several soldiers thawed him out.

Sokka almost decided to break free as his escort put iron bindings on his arms and legs. He could barely stand the sight of chains once again. It wasn't long before they made it onto the flagship and were brought to the bridge.

Upon arriving, they noticed Yon Rha who was standing behind the helmsman facing them. "All right, woman, tell us where the city is!"

She looked down with a scared face and nervously answered, "It's past Skylight Glacier to the southwest of here."

Sokka looked at her curiously and could barely make out a slight twitch on her lips as Yon Rha turned around and shouted at the helmsman, "Very well, helmsman plot a course southwest immediately."

"Where exactly is this Skylight Glacier?" the man questioned as he got in the woman's face. She looked away in "fear" but Sokka could clearly tell she was faking it.

"There's a gap between the edge further west that leads quite a ways inland. I don't think your ship will make it that far," she finally answered distraught. Sokka found her acting to be quite impressive and began to wonder what she had planned.

As if she could read his mind, the woman glanced over at him and smiled with a wink when nobody was looking. He soon found himself staring at the woman who looked away to avoid suspicion from the guards.

'_She's leading them into a trap…' _Sokka thought amazed.

Yon Rha laughed, "If the ships won't fit, we'll burn a path through the ice!"

It didn't take long for them to find the gap inland. Several boring hours passed as Sokka and the woman sat quietly on the bridge with guards staring at them.

Yon looked bored as well and decided to break the silence as he walked over to Sokka, "So tell me, water bender…what is your name?"

"None of your concern, nice to meet you," Sokka answered sarcastically. The man looked as if he was about to backhand him but stopped himself, "Very rebellious aren't you? What did you say about me killing your mother exactly?"

Sokka sent him a death glare but remained defiantly silent. Yon Rha shook his head and smiled wickedly, "You'll make an interesting gift to the fire nation capital. I hear they like water bender servants…perhaps you can even work your way up to being some noble's pet gladiator."

This caused the water tribesman to cock his head in confusion, "Pet gladiator? What the hell is a gladiator?"

"Just a fancy word for an arena fighter. Ozai recently decided that we had too many prisoners. Instead of killing them all off which would be a complete waste, we make them fight each other. Most of the fights aren't deathmatches sadly…"

Sokka looked as if he was about to snap his bindings off, "You really treat prisoners like that?!"

"It's entertainment at its finest. Sadly, I haven't made much money from the bets this year, but maybe that'll change when I take you there hahaha."

The man turned around and pat his helmsman on the back who didn't seem to share his enthusiasm as he nervously navigated the shrinking gap. Sokka was about to break out of his bindings as he drew in water from the air to form an ice pick to pick the lock.

The woman eyed him amused and coughed. Sokka looked up and caught her gaze as she shook her head. He reluctantly stopped picking the lock much to his own disbelief. He didn't know why, but something about this woman seemed enticing to him.

He didn't want to disappoint her for some reason. The sound of scraping metal caught everyone's attention as the flagship was now at the very end of the gap. Yon Rha looked at the woman, "Well, how much further from here?!"

"You're far enough now," she laughed. Her amusement caught the man completely off guard and not even a moment later, the fleet was under attack. Frost bombs and water rained all around the ships killing many unfortunate crew members. Yon Rha looked at the woman enraged, "You bitch, you led us into a trap!"

Sokka chose this moment break free and assaulted the nearby guards and helmsman.

The water tribe woman leapt to her feet and pulled off her already undone bindings throwing them at Yon Rha. He barely had time to react as she sent a powerful kick towards him unleashing a miniature cyclone. As it flew towards him, he barely had time to jump out of the window and make a run for it. He looked back horror to see a large group of water benders puncturing holes in his ships.

"That's impossible…" Yon Rha said in disbelief. Sokka found the sight kind of disturbing as the warriors mercilessly attacked.

"You wanted to find the water benders…here they are!" She laughed at the man. He soon found himself completely surrounded by water bender warriors. Sokka admired their appearances. They each had armor that resembled the woman's coat, and wolf helmets not that different from the ones his father's men wore.

Yon Rha trembled in disbelief as his fleet sunk underwater and the surviving crew members were swiftly executed. Sokka felt it was a little extreme seeing the brutality and death, but kept his mind distracted as he watched the woman call the water benders to her.

There must have been at least one hundred of them from what Sokka could tell. "Bring this man to King Sokyo immediately," she ordered several of them. They grabbed the man and left without another word leaving the woman and many curious water benders staring at Sokka.

"So…who are you exactly? You mind telling me where you learned closed fist style? You're clearly not from Azure City," she asked sternly.

Sokka wondered if it would be wise to tell her who he was. She eyed him impatiently and took a deep breath, "Closed Fist is only ever taught to true members of our tribe. You say Yon Rha murdered your mother? Where was she from? What village?"

There was a long silence before Sokka finally thought of something to say, "My name is Sokka…I'm Hakoda's son."

The woman didn't appear to recognize the name much to his relief and cocked her head in confusion , "What was your mother's name?"

"Why does it matter? Can I just go now?" Sokka replied defensively. He was very worried about what the tribe would be like considering his recent experience with blood bending and the brutal display he just witnessed.

She laughed, "At least let me give you a tour of the city…I mean it's the least I can do for you helping me lure those men here."

Sokka knew she wasn't going to let him leave either way. Plus he didn't know how he was going to go anywhere with all the ships sunken.

"C'mon Sokka, I promise I don't bite," she teased.

Finally he sighed, "It's not the biting I'm worried about."

She looked around at all of the water bender warriors and jerked her head signaling them to leave. They immediately took off after Yon Rha's escort towards a glacier wall in the distance. The woman walked closer towards Sokka and licked her lips, "I don't often like to do this to my own people, but…"

Sokka felt his bloodstream tighten as the woman ensnared him in a blood bending grip. Hers was much gentler than the one he experienced with Hama, but it was still unpleasant. He found it surprising since it wasn't a full moon that night.

"Answer my question, Sokka…where did you learn our tribe's secrets? How much do you know?" she interrogated with a casual smile.

'_She could give that fire nation princess a run for her money…' _Sokka thought as he felt himself being lifted off the ground.

He didn't want to bloodbend, so Sokka just calmly remained quiet. The woman appeared to be getting annoyed, "It doesn't have to be like this…you just need to answer my questions and we can put this all behind us. Now, I'll ask you again…Who is your mother?!"

Her grip was getting extremely tight now as Sokka felt his blood pressure rising considerably. This also caused him to become angry. Finally, unable to stand the blood bending grip any longer, Sokka broke out of it and gripped both of the woman's arms with his own blood bending.

She looked bewildered, "How?! Unless…"

"Her name is Kya…" Sokka finally answered as he released his grip on the woman. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped at the mention of the name.

She eyed Sokka for a long moment before finally speaking, "Kya as in Princess Kya Blue Wolf of Azure City?"

Sokka nodded his head, "Yes, and I learned closed fist from Hama."

"Hama's alive?" She asked even more surprised. Sokka shook his head remembering the horrible memory, "Not anymore."

"Well that's good," she stated as she walked closer towards him.

Sokka found her callous disregard for the woman's death to be disturbing. She shook her head and laughed, "I'm sorry for blood bending you, Prince Sokka…" The way she said it was in a playful manner.

"How can you bloodbend without a full moon? Are you royalty too?" Sokka asked. The woman shook her head, "Sadly no…I'm only a noble. I can only bloodbend at night when the moon is out. King Sokyo is training me and hopefully I'll eventually develop the mastered style that comes so easy to the Blue Wolf line," She answered.

Sokka didn't know how to respond and after an awkward silence, he began to walk away from the woman. It didn't take long before she cut him off, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To go for a swim," he answered sarcastically.

She grabbed his hand much to his surprise, "No, you have a tour of Azure City to see. I will be your humble guide tonight."

"I don't even know your name…" Sokka stated out of the blue.

She brushed her free hand through her hair and smiled, "Oh, I almost forgot about that. My name is Kara, I'm the apprentice of King Sokyo."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well there you have another chapter in my story. I hope it wasn't a dreadful or boring read. Let me know what you think.


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